BAY MINETTE, Ala.  — During a recent meeting of the Bay Minette Project Safe Neighborhood meeting, the topic of discussion was recent crime that seems to have united city and state agency leaders with area pastors to brainstorm fighting and preventing crime.

Bay Minette Police Chief Michael Rowland, a leader of the Project Safe Neighborhood organization, told those present that violent crimes and drugs are problems that need a special solution.

“The police department has not taken a heavy-handed approach,” he said. “We’re taking a community-oriented posture and have invited the community and the churches to come together.”

The Rev. Val Ovregon, associate pastor of Stapleton Baptist Church, liked Roland’s theory.

“We have to change the heart of the people,” he said during the meeting. “It’s the economy, lack of education, lack of jobs, lack of self esteem. We have to change their situation and change their influences in a positive way.”

Rowland defined what he believed is the basis of crime.

“The general belief is that the problem is the erosion of family values and morals,” he said. “They need to have a better decision-making process.”

To that end, Rowland hopes the group can join forces with Mobile’s church pastors and U.S. Attorney Kenyen Brown to create a multi-county task force. Along with that, he hopes to address the court system with another alternative to jail time.

He said that a sentencing alternative for first-time and non-violent offenders might be to send them to church for a certain period of time.

“Just like with rehab, the success of the program is based on longevity,” he said.

When concerns about the separation of church and state came up, Roland said, “ It would teach them better decision-making skills and would not be a mandate, going to church, but give that option or go to jail.”

 The Rev. Edna Dixon, an evangelist and coordinator of Mayor Jamie Tillery’s prayer breakfast, said the program would change individuals for the better.

“Now they have a defeatist attitude,” she said. “How can they have a goal if they don’t even know what one is?”

The group is made up of people from organizations like the Department of Human Resources, Drug Enforcement Agency, Habitat for Humanity, Bay Minette Police Department and the Baldwin County Community Alliance.

These groups are sponsoring related, community events and initiatives to encourage morality and to fight crime and drugs.  Roland also hopes the under-age drinking tip hotline will help keep teens out of trouble.

“It’s even more of a problem than prescription drugs, because the precursor to that is alcohol,” he said.

To give anonymous information about underage drinking, call (251) 580-1TIP.

Jason Capstraw, of the DEA’s office, said a drug take-back will be held on April 30 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at CVS and North Baldwin Pharmacy in Bay Minette, as part of a state-wide initiative.

“There were 2,4000 pounds of prescription pills collected last year, and 1,700 of those were from Alabama,” he said.

Visit www.dea.gov for more information.

Also during the meeting, it was discussed that Lighthouse for Women, a domestic-violence shelter, offers counsel to male and female rape and molestation victims through a new program called SART/SANE, Sexual Abuse Response Team/Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. The organization will respond to victim’s needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The organization has applied for a $150,000 grant and hopes to have it by October.

Project Safe Neighborhood will hold its next meeting June 9 at 10:30 a.m. at Bay Minette City Hall.